BFI Doc Society Fund dedicates £300,000 to immersive non-fiction projects
The fund also reveals details of Built by Sound, a new mixed-reality experience being produced for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.
BFI and Doc Society announce today an additional £300,000 is available for new immersive form non-fiction projects through the BFI Doc Society Fund. Open now and made possible thanks to BFI National Lottery funding, the fund is seeking applications for bold, independent immersive projects that will reach audiences in the UK and beyond.
Eligible teams can apply for up to £150,000 per project, if they have a lead UK production company which is experienced in producing using a range of technologies such as VR, AR, MR and 360-degree experiences.
The announcement coincides with the UK as a country in focus at this year’s Venice Production Bridge (supported by the BFI National Lottery International Fund). This will see the BFI hosting a panel: ‘Creating Spaces: Not emerging, emerged — immersive exhibition in the UK’, on Friday 29 August on the Venice Immersive Island. Moderated by the BFI’s Director of UK Audiences, Ben Luxford, the panel brings together Amy Rose (Undershed), David Massey (Wales Millennium Centre), Nicola Triscott (FACT Liverpool), and Alex Rowse (Marshmallow Laser Feast). A subsequent Meet the Creators session will give delegates the chance to learn more about the UK immersive works in official selection, and Venice Production Bridge Delegates can also visit the UK Stand on the Immersive Island to learn more about the wealth of immersive activity coming out of the UK.
Immersive projects currently in production with the BFI Doc Society Fund include ’Built by Sound’ a mixed-reality experience which will premiere as part of Bradford City of Culture in November 2025. Exploring how British South Asian communities in the 1970s and ’80s found joy in defiance, in community and in music ‘Built by Sound’ is a co-production between No Ghost, Dialled In and Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the BFI Doc Society Fund, both awarding National Lottery Funding. Further details to be announced in early-September.
“In response to significant demand to fund documentary immersive projects, we have worked with Doc Society to make this additional funding available speedily,” said Mia Bays, Director of BFI Filmmaking Fund. “We know we will be inspired by how the supported UK filmmakers will continue to experiment with and expand the form, and bring new audiences in to embrace the innovation”.
“Whether sharing radical histories, speculative futures or powerful presence, immersive non-fiction allows us to encounter and re-imagine our realities together,” said Luke W Moody, Head of BFI Doc Society Fund. “We’re excited to be able to support new immersive experiences representing the plurality of what story world building can be.”
Applications for the BFI Doc Society Features Fund and RAD Fund for early development are open on a rolling basis. Support is made possible through BFI National Lottery funding.